Saturday, May 28, 2011

Wow...this past Thursday evening around 5:30 pm or so, we had some severe thunderstorms hit the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania area with high gusty winds, downpouring rain, hail, lightening and thunder that shook your entire house!

We were given a lot of warning that these severe storms with reported tornado's was heading in our direction so many residents here were prepared and on-guard for the approaching storms. When you think of a "Severe Thunderstorm Warning" you imagine that it is going to be bad, however, we did not IMAGINE this bad!

Within about 10 minutes, the sky was so dark that it looked like the sun had set and it was not even 6pm yet. As the skies got darker the thunder and lightening began. During the storm the thunder was so loud that you felt your home vibrate and when that gusty wind kicked up, you heard your windows rattle, tree branches falling and then...entire 60+ year old trees being ripped out of the ground by their roots!

This storm was absolutely terrible and was one of the worst I have ever been through in my 43 years of life and I sure hope I don't have to go through another any time soon. The hail from this storm ranged from pea-size hail to golf-ball size hail and many of my neighbors had dings in their cars caused by the hail.

These storms lasted for about 4 continuous hours, varying it's degree of intesity as it went on. By the time it finished, it was after 10pm and no one could really see the damage until the sun came up on Friday. When we went outside to see what the storm had done, it was horrifying to say the least!

We saw sheds that had blown away, outhouses totally gone, 60+ year old large tall trees ripped out of the ground by their roots, gas grills and trash cans blown 4 yards down and so much more! This area got hit hard...a lot of property damage ranging from house damage to car damage. Just terrible!

Like I said, I hope I never see anything like this again here in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania area.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Okay, it's really an almost "wordless Wednesday" post! Hubby and I just got back from vacation and we spent a lovely few days in North Wildwood, New Jersey! Gotta love this view from our condo! I highly recommend the Stone Harbor, Wildwood and Cape May area for Jersey beach vacations! Enjoy!

Sunday, May 15, 2011

As busy mothers, we often spend all of our time taking care of the children, doing household chores and running the family errands. When was the last time that you scheduled in some personal 'me' time? If you had to stop and think about your answer, it has been too long.

Here is a fact that you should know. If you take 30 minutes of 'me' time every day for yourself, you can eliminate symptoms of depression and increase your ability to have fun. Scientific studies show that if you allow some time for yourself every day, you will lead a healthier and happier life.

When it comes to spending some 'me' time, here are a few ideas of things you can do.

1. Sit down and read a good book.
2. Take a hot shower.
3. Take a nice bubble bath.
4. Give yourself a manicure or pedicure.
5. Soak your feet and then follow up with a foot massage.
6. Give yourself a homemade facial.
7. Enjoy a cup of coffee or hot tea in a quiet area of your home.
8. Spend a few minutes writing in your journal
9. Do some deep breathing exercises and meditate.
10. Do Pilate's or Yoga
11. Sit down and write a letter to a friend or family member.
12. Spend some time working on a craft project.
13. Take a 30 minute walk outdoors.
14. Take a small power nap.
15. Spend a few minutes reading your bible or saying a prayer.

The most important thing that you can do for yourself and your family is to take a few minutes every day and spend that time on yourself. You will find that you will get more things accomplished and you will be physically and mentally healthier.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Okay...not really wordless LOL! Hubby and I celebrated our big 25th wedding anniversary back in April and I am happy to report that I love that man even more today than the day I married him. I seriously don't think I could of found a better man to be my husband or a better man to be the father to our daughter and now he is a grandfather to our first born grandchild.

I collect precious moments figurines and have done so for about 18 years now. Back during our 15th wedding anniversary he got me the Bride and Groom figurine. Aren't they cute? I plan on using this as a cake topper when we renew our wedding vows in 5 years as it's special to me.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of ogilvy for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you have an iPad? Have you heard of the new iPad app that was just released on April 12th, 2011 called "the collection?" This brand new iPad app will be a monthly appazine that explores globally relevant topics. It will feature top-notch articles, audio's and photos. If you are looking for an interactive app that has panoramic photography, 3D digital animation, X-ray lens and more...then you need to check out this new iPad app! This is the first iPad app on the market that will be simutaneously published in English, German and Chinese.

What I really like about this iPad app is that it will help me to keep up to date on global current events and news and I can stay up-to-date on things according to my own time schedule. As a busy mom, wife and grandmother...I often don't have time to sit down and watch news on tv...so this iPad app is perfect for people like me. In this type of world that we live in today, it is better to be "informed" than not be "informed". With an iPad app like this one I can stay up-to-date on everything I need to know and while I am getting my updates I can enjoy fabulous panoramic photography and read the articles that I am interested in. I would like to invite all of my readers to check out the iPad app and download it for yourselves to see how fabulous it really is!

How would you like to win your very own brand new iPad? Of course you would! You can enter their contest for your chance to win by simply tweeting the following message over on Twitter:

tweet to enter Stay up-to-date with current events by using #thecollection iPad App

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post and I was compensated by the advertiser to write this post. We were provided with the subject matter to write about but our thoughts, opinions and words are 100% our own. Please read our Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy for additional information. All information contained on this blog is copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Mother's Day baskets are a great way to show off your creative talents while also showing your mom, mother-in-law, grandma, or another special mom how much you care.

I've put together some theme ideas to get you started. I've included several easy recipes, and also some links to give you some more ideas and to help you put it all together.

Most of these ideas you can make yourself from the following recipes. I've never made biscotti before, but there's a great hazelnut biscotti recipe included that I think I'm going to try when I make my Mother's Day baskets this year. Have fun! Your mom will be so impressed.

Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl, stopping every 15 seconds to stir the chocolate. Dip each pretzel, one at a time, into the melted chocolate. Lay the pretzels on wax paper and let cool.

Chocolate Covered Spoons:

20-24 plastic spoons
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Wax paper

Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl, stopping every 15 seconds to stir the chocolate. Dip spoons into chocolate. Place spoons on wax paper and refrigerate until chocolate hardens. Wrap each spoon separately and store in a cool dry place.

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Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of What's for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For recipes, tips to organize your home, home decorating, crafts, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com/.